CHENNAI: A major fire broke out on the Sri Ramachandra University premises in Porur on Monday evening, spreading panic on the campus and the surroundings. However, there was no report of anyone being injured.
The fire broke out at a storeroom in Smt Kamalam Ramaswamy Health Sciences block behind the main building around 7 pm. As many as seven fire tenders were used and it took firefighters three hours to bring the blaze under control.
“The entire first floor was gutted, we had to evacuate everyone from the block,” said a student from the university. The fire caused panic among students, teachers and patients in the campus. There were a large crowd of onlookers who had gathered to watch the fire, but policemen stopped them from getting close to the building.
University officials present at the spot said the fire has caused extensive damage to machinery and medicines. A statement from the institution later in the day said the cause of the fire was being investigated.
Fire in Temple
In another incident, a minor fire broke out at Ekambareswarar Temple in Mint Street. No casualties were reported.
One fire tender attached to the Esplanade fire station rushed to the spot and fire personnel doused the fire within 15 minutes. Speaking to Express, a Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue Services official said the fire at a storehouse on the temple campus was triggered by a cigarette butt.
“The fire had slowly spread, damaging materials used for a pandal, which lay in the storehouse,” the TNFRS official said.
Minor fire at airport
Chennai: A minor fire broke out in a circuit box in the airport’s international departure terminal. Smoke was spotted near the immigration area around 3.30 am. Engineers were called and the issue was set right within 20 minutes.